Hearing Voices in Different Cultures: A Social Kindling Hypothesis

Luhrmann, T. M.; Padmavati, Ramachandran; Tharoor, Hema; Osei, Akwasi

doi:10.1111/tops.12158

Cited by 63 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Furthermore, an emphasis on intrinsic differences between religious experiences and psychopathology obscures the social and cultural processes through which experiences are deemed either religious or pathological [94]. Many experiences reported in the VCE study are not unique to religious traditions and are, therefore, not intrinsically religious [157, 158]. Through querying attributions of causality and ascriptions of meaning and value independently from phenomenology, we attempt to situate reports of experiences in the broader narrative and cultural contexts of practitioners and their communities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists

et al. 2017

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Buddhist-derived meditation practices are currently being employed as a popular form of health promotion. While meditation programs draw inspiration from Buddhist textual sources for the benefits of meditation, these sources also acknowledge a wide range of other effects beyond health-related outcomes. The Varieties of Contemplative Experience study investigates meditation-related experiences that are typically underreported, particularly experiences that are described as challenging, difficult, distressing, functionally impairing, and/or requiring additional support. A mixed-methods approach featured qualitative interviews with Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan traditions. Interview questions probed meditation experiences and influencing factors, including interpretations and management strategies. A follow-up survey provided quantitative assessments of causality, impairment and other demographic and practice-related variables. The content-driven thematic analysis of interviews yielded a taxonomy of 59 meditation-related experiences across 7 domains: cognitive, perceptual, affective, somatic, conative, sense of self, and social. Even in cases where the phenomenology was similar across participants, interpretations of and responses to the experiences differed considerably. The associated valence ranged from very positive to very negative, and the associated level of distress and functional impairment ranged from minimal and transient to severe and enduring. In order to determine what factors may influence the valence, impact, and response to any given experience, the study also identified 26 categories of influencing factors across 4 domains: practitioner-level factors, practice-level factors, relationships, and health behaviors. By identifying a broader range of experiences associated with meditation, along with the factors that contribute to the presence and management of experiences reported as challenging, difficult, distressing or functionally impairing, this study aims to increase our understanding of the effects of contemplative practices and to provide resources for mediators, clinicians, meditation researchers, and meditation teachers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists

et al. 2017

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“…For example, it has been proposed that "social kindling" could account for observed differences in auditory hallucinations across distinct cultural groups. 28 Nevertheless, the relative stability of symptoms across populations likely contributed to the success and widespread adoption of the RSWG remission criteria, 3 as they only consider improvements in core psychopathology. In contrast, the substantial impact of sociocultural and other environmental factors on functionality and QOL 6 are barriers to developing broader criteria for recovery in schizophrenia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early recovery in the first 24 months of treatment in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders

et al. 2020

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Studies assessing the treatment outcomes in first-episode schizophrenia have reported mixed results. While symptom improvement is frequently robust, when other domains are considered outcomes are generally poorer. We explored response trajectories, rates and predictors of recovery in the domains of core psychopathology, clinician-rated social and occupational functioning and patient-rated quality of life over 24 months of treatment in 98 patients with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders who were treated with a long-acting antipsychotic medication. There was robust improvement in core psychopathology (effect size d = 3.36) and functionality (d = 1.78), with most improvement occurring within the first six months of treatment. In contrast, improvement in subjective quality of life was less marked (d = 0.37) and slower, only reaching significance after 12 months of treatment. Symptom remission was achieved by 70% of patients and over half met our criteria for functional remission and good quality of life. However, only 29% met the full criteria for recovery. Patients who met the recovery criteria had better premorbid adjustment, were less likely to be of mixed ethnicity and substance use emerged as the only modifiable predictor of recovery. Only 9% of our sample achieved both functional remission and good quality of life despite not being in symptom remission. We found high rates of symptom remission, functional remission and good quality of life in patients, although relatively few achieved recovery by meeting all three of the outcome criteria. Symptom remission is not a necessary prerequisite for functional remission and good quality of life, although few non-remitters achieve other recovery criteria.npj Schizophrenia (2020) 6:2 ; https://doi.

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“…In these countries with higher sex inequality, the more favorable course in females, which is probably due to the protective role of estrogen, might have been diluted given the social situation of females. A recent study by Luhrmann et al47 suggests that the clinical presentation of schizophrenia may be the result of an interaction between the pathological and cultural processes, a process which they name “social kindling”. Accordingly, sex differences will arise from the complex interactions among very different biological and environmental factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in the course of schizophrenia across diverse regions of the world

Novick

Montgomery²,

Treuer³

et al. 2016

NDT

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This study explores sex differences in the outcomes of patients with schizophrenia (clinical/functional remission and recovery) across diverse regions of the world (Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, East Asia, and North Africa and the Middle East). Data (n=16,380 for this post hoc analysis) were taken from the World-Schizophrenia Health Outcomes Study. In most regions, females had a later age at first service contact for schizophrenia, a lower level of overall/negative symptom severity, lower rates of alcohol/substance abuse and paid employment, and higher percentages of having a spouse/partner and independent living. Overall, females had slightly higher rates of clinical remission (58.0% vs 51.8%), functional remission (22.8% vs 16.0%), and recovery (16.5% vs 16.0%) at 36 months (P<0.001 for all). This pattern was consistently observed in Southern Europe and Northern Europe even after controlling for baseline sex differences, but not in other regions. In Central and Eastern Europe, rates of clinical remission were higher in females at 36 months, but those of functional remission and recovery were similar between males and females. The opposite was observed for Latin America. In East Asia, sex differences were rarely observed for these outcomes. Finally, in North Africa and the Middle East, sex differences in these outcomes were pronounced only in regression analyses. These regional variations shed light on the importance of psychosocial and cultural factors and their effects on sex in the prognosis of schizophrenia.

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Hearing Voices in Different Cultures: A Social Kindling Hypothesis

Cited by 63 publications

References 37 publications

The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists

The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists

Early recovery in the first 24 months of treatment in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders

Sex differences in the course of schizophrenia across diverse regions of the world

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